Hedgehog

Hedgehog is a Beastformer from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Dig underground at the speed of sound...

Hedgehog (ヘジホッグ Hejihoggu, aka Dastard) is a pretty surprising beast. Many assume that this serious, meticulous, quiet and independent character is an unfriendly, gloomy downer, but that's far from the truth. He's quick-witted and mischievous, enjoying a good joke, it's just hidden under a fairly deadpan personality. He's close friends with the lively Rabbit Kid, and having become the King of Hogland, he's also formed a strong bond with his subordinate Emperor, the shy Deaspider. He even takes the time to visit Yellow Giraffe, who is always ready to help Hedgehog with what's bothering him. He's truly a nice guy, but he's never gonna be a huggy kind of person, and not just because of the spines and spikes all over his body.

This surprising side to his character is also reflected in his combat skills. With just a quick look, he can analyze the local terrain and figure out the best underground route to take to his objective, burrowing with frightening speed and popping up at precisely the right place and time. He uses this ability to launch surprise attacks, conduct reconnaissance, or lead foes into traps set by Deaspider. And with his MVP Weapon Hegrinder (ヘッグラインダー Hegguraindā), he can tunnel through even the hardest rock thanks to its super-fast rotating spearhead.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Kōji Totani (Japanese)

I...Hate...That...

While patrolling space in Battleship Maximus, the Autobots discovered a pair of aliens floating in space in exosuits. After they were brought in, they introduced themselves as Hedgehog and Rabbit Kid and pleaded for help in driving the Decepticon invaders off their formerly-bucolic homeworld.

Other Hedgehogs were part of a rebel force that attacked the Decepticon factory on Beast. A Devilbat struck down one Hedgehog, and the Decepticon counterattack was too much for the rebels to handle.

The Hedgehog and the Rabbit Kid with the Autobots were eventually brought to Beast, where they met up with White Leo.

A Hedgehog was later part of the contingent led by White Leo that went through a cave maze to reach the Decepticon factory to rescue the slaves kept there. During their rescue, the Autobot Transformers successfully drove away the Decepticon Transformers from Beast. Rebellion on Planet Beast

Legends comic

Hedgehog was among the Autobot Beastformers who fought in the 2011 war for Beast. LG51 Doublecross Prologue

In 2023, Hedgehog led a team in infiltrating Majin Zarak when Scorponok enslaved Beastformers to construct the giant, then sabotaged its power core so that it could be defeated by the Transformers in the Legends World. Evacuating Zarak before it disappeared into another dimension, Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two Hedgehog borrowed Spike Witwicky's Headmaster exosuit and returned to Beast to continue battling the Laser Beasts. When Repugnus yearned for the additional power of a Beastformer Headmaster, Hedgehog formed his head only to be injured by the Shocking Shark, destroying his head mode's faceplate and goggles. Automatic repair from Repugnus's end transformed Hedgehog's head mode into a form resembling the Monsterbot's own head, and together they helped end the war. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1

When Galvatron II invaded the peaceful Beast with his forces in 2038, Hedgehog helped the joint Autobot-Beastformer-Laser Beast alliance by ordering Korepugs to attack Nemesis. They were shot down by Galvatron, and so Hedgehog joined with Repugnus to battle. However, the Monsterbots were no match for Galvatron's power, and the three Autobots tossed their heads away to save them from the Decepticon's brutal attack. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3 Fortunately, the Three Wise Ones made their presence known and revitalized the Monsterbots, allowing Hedgehog to Get On and grant Repugnus a new "Beastformer Mode" that took short care of Smokescreen and Dreadwing. LG-EX Repugnus The pair held off the Decepticons till Grotusque was able to bring Platinum Tiger out of his exile and the two Monsterbots sent the Decepticons fleeing. Hedgehog celebrated their victory with Repugnus. LG-EX Grotusque

Titans Return marketing material

Dastard was the Titan Master partner to Repugnus. His power to erase memories probably came in handy for erasing evidence of Repugnus's dastardly behaviour.

Toys

Beastformers

OC do not steal

• Hedgehog (Beastformer, 1988)

• ID number: 19
• Pack: G
• Accessories: "Hegrinder" MVP Weapon

Part of the first series of Takara's Beastformers toys, Hedgehog is an anthropomorphic porcupine in yellow robotic armor. The rubsign on his chest reveals one of three symbols; Fire, Water or Wood.

The Hasbro Battle Beasts release of the figure can vary in the tone of the paint used on its armor, with some samples being a darker and glossier mustard-color; it's uncertain if the Takara version has similar (minor) paint variation.

As part of the first assortment of individually-boxed Beastformers in the "RPG" line, there was a chance his normal pack-in bio card would be replaced with a rare "Burstsun" holo card featuring White Leo on the front, with a Burstsun Battle Emblem sticker in a little baggie affixed to the back, for you to attach to whichever Beastformer you chose.

Titans Return

You magnificent Dastard

• Repugnus (Special Edition, 2018)

Titans Return Dastard is a retool of Daburu, transforming into his larger partner Repugnus's head, based on the Monsterbot's Generation 1 toy, unlike the animation-based head seen in Repugnus's small Titan Master Class release.

Dastard and Repugnus comes in a "Special Edition" set with the Prime Master Solus Prime, released well after the end of the original Titans Return line. This set, celebrating the Titans Return portion of the Prime Wars Trilogy, was an Amazon exclusive, first revealed via preorder listing without any prior announcement from Hasbro. It was also available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets.

This figure was later re-released with almost no changes as Legends Hedgehog.

Legends

I mean, with that level of facial detail it's not not Hedgehog...

• Bumble & Excelsuit Spike (Bumblebee & Exo-suit Spike) (December 30, 2017)

• ID Number: LG-54

This toy was repurposed as Hedgehog in Spike's exo-suit by "The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1" in 2019.

Legends "Excelsuit Spike" transforms from a small robot based on Spike's exosuit into Cerebros's head which is compatible to any Deluxe-to-Larger Legends Headmaster/Titans Return figures, although he is meant to form Fortress's head as seen in the pack-in manga. His smaller head is cast in transparent plastic, (with a tiny paint application on it to represent Spike’s human face).

Excelsuit Spike comes with Bumble, a redeco of the Titans Return Legends Class Bumblebee figure. This mold was redecoed into The Transformers Excelsuit Chama.

Hedgemaster.

• Repug & Grotes (Repugnus & Grotusque) (2-pack, 2019)

• ID number: LG-EX
• Release date: January 26, 2019

Legends Hedgehog is a re-release of Titans Return Dastard with the very slight difference of a glossy paint finish and a black screw in contrast to a matte finish and silver screw of the Hasbro release. Hedgehog forms the head of Repug and is also compatible with any Deluxe, Voyager, or Leader Class Titans Return-style figure.

He and Repug were available in a multi-pack with Platinum Tiger and Grotes.

Merchandise

Candy toys

• Hedgehog (Gashapon/candy-toy Beastformer, 1988)
  • ID number: 3
  • Accessories: "Lens Gear" weapon

A small, super-deformed, articulation-free version of Hedgehog that could come in red, blue or green plastic, representing the Fire, Water and Wood elements (even though he still had a rubsign). All of the SD Beastformers come with a different Beastformer's weapon attached to their left shoulder by a snippable sprue. Hedgehog comes with Giader's "Lens Gear" weapon, while Platinum Tiger has Hedgehog's weapon.

This toy was sold in three different ways. First it was available as a gashapon capsule prize by Takara. Then it was sold as a candy toy from Takara, randomly-packed in a box of three with a packet of ramune-flavored candy tablets. Then again as a candy toy, this time through candy/snack company Meiji, in randomized packs of two with a packet of "chocoballs" (chocolate covered malted milk balls). The Meiji release also has much more elaborate packaging, with newly-painted box art (which sometimes shows characters not made in this assortment), and the entire interior of the box printed with game rules, character bios, chunks of lore, etc.

• Ramune Beastformers Battle Card (1988)
  • ID number: 3

A gold-foil "Battle Card" of Hedgehog, featuring painted character art of the kind found on early Transformers: Beastformers bio cards, was available in randomly-packed sets of cards that came with ramune-flavored candy tablets. The back of the card features a severely truncated bio, with data for the game from the Meiji chocoball SD figures' packaging.

Notes

• So yeah, it's really really weird that Hedgehog and Rabbit Kid, the first two Beastformers shown in Transformers fiction, were not actually sold in the Transformers line. Their Meiji card art (as well as art of other skipped beasts on those cards) indicates they were planned to be at one point, but ultimately, they and twenty other Battle Beasts figures were skipped in the Transformers: Beastformers series, despite all of them appearing on numerous catalogs and advertisements, only to be released in the following year.
• His 1988 bio card gives him the nickname Heg (ヘッグ Heggu), and notes he was born in Hogstown.

Foreign names

• English: Prickly Porcupine